Meru National Polytechnic (Gitoro Technical) was set up in 1956 in Meru Town at the request of the Njuri Ncheke (the Meru Council of Elders) much like other institutions founded in Meru around that time. Its core mandate was to train youths in technical courses.

In the present day, the newly upgraded polytechnic offer three higher diploma courses, over 25 diploma courses, 31 craft courses, and six artisan courses. The student population has rose to about 8,000 students. The courses offered are: - Clothing, Agriculture, Applied Sciences, Business Studies, Engineering, Information Technology, Secretarial and Accounts. Students are offered accommodation and are allowed interaction through participation in sports and recreational activities. Students are led by a student union that highlights and disseminates information to and from the administration. Admission is open to all nationalities, gender and religions.

By virtue of being a government institution offering diplomas, the students at Meru Polytechnic can access Higher Education Loan Board (HELB) financing. The institution is also ISO certified for its quality in service delivery. The university has never lost its vision and still continues to churn out able and well-rounded students. Especially when you consider the short time it took to achieve its current status. The school became a government institution in 1964 and was renamed Meru Technical School and only offered two year courses. The school’s progress continued and in 1969, Meru Technical School was upgraded to a vocational training school and admitted its first form one students for the then Kenya Junior Secondary School Examination. Those who passed and wished to proceed to form three and four were transferred to Mombasa Institute of Muslim Education (MIOME) the present day Mombasa Polytechnic. Those who stayed behind underwent a further one year training before joining the job market. In 1973, the school was upgraded to a technical secondary and started offering East African Certificate of Education (EACE). From this time, the center didn’t enroll any new students as secondary students. Instead there commenced a steady phase out in preparation for its upgrade to a Technical Training Institute in May 1986.

Going forward, the first batch and subsequent streams of artisan and Accounts Clerk National Certificate (ACNC) were enlisted. More courses were added to the curriculum of the school, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1988, craft course students in 1997 which marked the beginning of diploma courses. Later, in 2016 Meru Training Institute further upgraded to a Technical Institute of Vocational Education Training (TIVET).